Discovering Marvelous Munda in the Solomon Islands

 

During my two weeks in the Solomon Islands, I explored Honiara, Gizo and literally took a 10min flight to Mundo from Gizo! My dive computer did not even recognize it as a flight we were so low in the sky. I had a window seat and took great photos and video. The Solomon Islands include 900 islands, 600,000 people, 90 languages and nine provinces. Where will you explore first?

VIDEOIt’s time to leave Gizo and Fly to Munda, Solomon Islands

Where to stay in Munda?

I stayed at Agnes Gateway Hotel which has been open for over fifty years and is owned by a local family. It is on the shore of the Roviana Lagoon and where you can find Dive Munda for all your dives! We ate at the restaurant on site and enjoyed incredible sunrises and sunsets over the water.

VIDEO: Where to stay in Munda? Agnes Gateway Hotel, Solomon Islands

Where to dive in Munda?

I was able to dive for two days with the team at Dive Munda. During a 71 min dive at Shark Point, we saw a turtle who stayed with us for awhile. There were both black tip and white tip reef sharks as well as all sizes clams, trigger fish guarding their eggs, juvenile spotted drum, three large moray eels, and many types anemone and clown fish!

VIDEOCome underwater with Dive Munda and me

On my second day I went to wrecks and reefs. We saw sharks, an eagle ray, cuttlefish and many schools of fish.  Our wreck dives included the Airacobra Wreck at 90 feet and a Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber from World War 2. For our third dive we went to Barry’s Breakfast and saw a school of barracuda!

It was a great day and we had good fresh fish to eat too. During our surface interval we went to Lubaria island which was a forward base for JFK during World War 2 (see the video below).

VIDEO: Wreck Diving with Dive Munda Solomon Islands

What is there to do around Munda?

VIDEO: Discover Lubaria Island, JFK and World War 2

I went by boat to Lubaria Island where JFK was stationed during World War II.

A new monument was added at Lubaria Island on August 3, 2017

In the photo above taken by Susan K. Bejeckian: “Minister of Culture and Tourism (second from the left) Bartholowmew Parapola and Commander Dan Balsinger United States Senior Defense Official, Defense Attache (right) unveil a monument on Lubaria Island in the Western Province.  Standing at (left) is Western Provincial Deputy Premier Maloney Lopoto.  The unveiling of the monument is part of the commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of World War II Battle of the Guadalcanal events held August 3, 2017 in the Solomon Islands.”

VIDEO: Seeing Skull Island and the history of Headhunting in the Solomon Islands

VIDEO: Visit the Peter Joseph WW2 Museum in Munda 

VIDEO: Marvelous Munda Sunset at Agnes Gateway Hotel, Solomon Islands

Useful Phrases:

Thank you: Tanggio

Thank you very much: Tanggio tumas

Good: gud tumas, nambawan

How are you? Yu hao?

I am fine, Thanks: Mi Oraet, tanggio tumas

Thank you to the Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau for arranging my trip and helping me learn about the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal.

Want to know more about the Solomon Islands?

Read my articles:

Saturday Evening Post: A World War II Hero Remembers Guadalcanal

Where to Go in Gizo, Solomon Islands?

What Famous History Happened in Honiara, Solomon Islands?

See my segment for The Jet Set TV on the Solomon Islands.

Thank you! Lisa Niver 

Lisa Ellen Niver

Lisa Niver is an award-winning travel expert who has explored 102 countries on six continents. This University of Pennsylvania graduate sailed across the seas for seven years with Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Renaissance Cruises and spent three years backpacking across Asia. Discover her articles in publications from AARP: The Magazine and AAA Explorer to WIRED and Wharton Magazine, as well as her site WeSaidGoTravel. On her award nominated global podcast, Make Your Own Map, Niver has interviewed Deepak Chopra, Olympic medalists, and numerous bestselling authors, and as a journalist has been invited to both the Oscars and the United Nations. For her print and digital stories as well as her television segments, she has been awarded three Southern California Journalism Awards and two National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards and been a finalist twenty-two times. Named a #3 travel influencer for 2023, Niver talks travel on broadcast television at KTLA TV Los Angeles, her YouTube channel with over 2 million views, and in her memoir, Brave-ish, One Breakup, Six Continents and Feeling Fearless After Fifty.

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